Chapter 36

Clary's POV

"What's this all about Jace?" I asked, staring up at Jace while trying hard to reveal his intentions.

For the past month, he seemed to be acting incredibly secretive. He was always going out alone and he was talking to Maia a lot more than normal. Usually, I was good at making him spill his secrets but this time, I was at a complete loss. He wouldn't breathe a word about whatever was going on and it frustrated me immensely.

"I want to take you out on a date... is that so wrong?" Jace asked, his gold eyes staring down at me with an expression I couldn't quite decipher – nervousness? Worry?

"No... I just... never mind," I said, shaking my head before pushing my curls back out of my face.

Jace smiled at me and reached out for my hand, his fingers securing my hand in his. He then leaned down and pressed his lips – warm and soft – to mine in a short yet sweet kiss before his pulled me up off the bed and wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Trust me Clary, you'll love this," he said, placing a kiss on my nose before his lips found mine again.

I kissed him back, reaching up to let my arms wrap around his neck. My fingers played with the soft, blonde hair at the back of his neck and I felt Jace's hand slowly trail up and down my spine.

He pulled back after a moment and the smile on his face was dazzling; it took my breath away.

"Well, let's get going then," he said, dropping his arms from my waist before seizing up my hand again, stroking his thumb along the back of it.

I gave him a smile and then we both started walking out of the room.

Unfortunately, I was still wearing the cast on my leg but thankfully, I no longer had to use my crutches – I had been given one of those walking cast things.

I could kind of support my weight with my bad leg now which was a good sign – it meant I would be able to get the cast off soon.

Jace led me downstairs and out into the cool Spring air. A few wispy clouds floated against the blue sky and I could hear some birds singing in the distance.

Jace hailed a cab and we both climbed into the back. Once we were both seated and the door was closed, Jace gave the driver an address and the cab pulled back out onto the road and into the crawling Saturday traffic.

"I wish I'd known traffic was going to be this bad..." I heard Jace mumble as he lifted a hand and ran it through his golden blonde hair.

I glanced at him and he gave me a small smile.

"So... where are we going?" I asked. "I didn't recognize the address you gave the driver."

"It's a surprise," Jace replied, smiling again as he reached out and entwined his fingers with mine.

"I hate surprises and you know it," I mumbled, clearly not impressed with Jace's secretive attitude. I stayed silent for a moment before speaking again. "Does this date, by any chance, have something to do with your secret outings and one-on-one talks with Maia?"

"Possibly," Jace replied before mumbling something that sounded kind of like 'I hope you won't be mad at me'.

I continued to look at Jace for a moment and I was about to speak again when the cab driver suddenly took a left turn – probably a bit too fast – and Jace ended up half lurching across the seat from the force of the turn.

His eyes locked with mine as the cab driver continued driving forward and he placed a kiss on my nose before sitting up properly again.

"You'd think these seatbelts would work a bit better..." He muttered to me, a grin on his face. "Seriously... I could've been thrown out a window or into that seat or anything," he continued.

I let out a small laugh and shook my head slightly.

Jace and I continued to talk until the driver pulled up at the curb. He told Jace the price of the trip and Jace tossed the cash into the front seat before opening the door and climbing out, beckoning me to follow.

I climbed out and looked up at the building in front of us. "The New York Art Museum?" I asked as the cab pulled back out onto the road.

Jace nodded. "I've been here before and they have some pretty great art I thought you might like to see..." Jace said. "One piece in particular... I think it's absolutely amazing."

I smiled at him and linked my hand with his as we walked up to the building and in through the doors.

The walls were lined with paintings and the room was full of statues. There was also a sign up saying that there was a new piece of artwork being displayed in the right wing of the museum. Jace paid for the admission and then we started to walk around the museum.

I was in complete awe at all the artwork – it was amazing.

I recognized a few paintings and statues and I was glad to finally see them up close. I was in the middle of reading about a painting when I felt Jace's hand on my shoulders.

"Do you want to have a look in the right wing of the museum? I mean, we've been wandering around here for a good forty minutes... surely you want to check out the rest?" he said, his breath tickling my cheek.

"I just want to finish reading this first," I said, gesturing to the plaque.

"Alright," Jace said.

A few minutes later, I finished reading the plaque and Jace and I started walking towards the right wing of the museum. We arrived in a room a few minutes later and I started to look at one of the statues when a pair of hands suddenly clamped down over my eyes.

"What the-" I started.

"Just trust me," Jace said from behind me. "Close your eyes..."

I hesitated but figured Jace wouldn't move his hands until he felt my eyes shut so I closed them.

I felt his hands move away from my face and I immediately opened my eyes and turned to face him. "Jace, what are you doing?" I asked.

Jace sighed. "Just close your eyes please... I want to show you something... but I want it to be a surprise."

I eyed Jace suspiciously for a moment before I closed my eyes again.

"Thank you," he said, turning me slightly. "Now walk... don't worry, I won't let you run into anyone or anything."

I sighed and started walking forward, letting Jace guide me around what I assumed were either statues or people.

"Okay... stop. But keep your eyes closed," he said, tagging on the last part of his sentence quickly.

I stopped walking and Jace's hands disappeared from my shoulders. I heard him move and I was debating whether or not to open my eyes when I heard his voice again.

"What's this?" he said and I swear there was a slight smug – or sarcastic – tone to his voice. "New Display. The Glass City. Artist: Clary Fray," he continued.

At the mention of my name, my eyes snapped open and my mouth dropped open as I found myself staring at my own painting, hanging on the wall.

A/N: And that's the end of this chapter! The rest of Clary's reaction will be in the next chapter! Do you want it in Clary or Jace's POV? Review Please!